Lando Norris failed to complete his last lap in qualifying for Sunday’s crucial Qatar Grand Prix to allow F1 championship rival Oscar Piastri to take pole position.
Norris, who will start alongside his McLaren team-mate for the penultimate round of the campaign in Doha, held a slender advantage heading into the decisive concluding laps. But the British driver made a mistake when he ran wide at the second corner, and was forced to abort, leaving Piastri the chance to usurp him at the top of the order.
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Piastri, a winner of the earlier sprint race here, which took him to within 22 points of Norris’ lead with 50 points still to play for, did not waste his opportunity, clinching pole by 0.108 seconds. Max Verstappen starts third to ensure he remains in the title hunt.
Norris will be crowned world champion on Sunday if he outscores Piastri by four points and Verstappen by one.
Here’s how the standings look after the Qatar GP sprint
F1 driver standings after Qatar GP sprint
1. Lando Norris (McLaren) – 396 points
2. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – 374 points
3. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – 371 points
4. George Russell (Mercedes) – 301 points
5. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – 226 points
6. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) – 152 points
7. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) – 140 points
8. Alex Albon (Williams) – 73 points
9. Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) – 51 points
10. Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber) - 49 points
11. Carlos Sainz (Williams) – 49 points
12. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) – 42 points
13. Ollie Bearman (Haas) – 41 points
14. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) – 36 points
15. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) – 32 points
16. Esteban Ocon (Haas) – 32 points
17. Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull) – 32 points
18. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) – 22 points
19. Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber) – 19 points
20. Franco Colapinto (Alpine) – 0 points
21. Jack Doohan (Alpine) – 0 points
F1 constructor standings
1. McLaren - 770 points (champions)
2. Mercedes - 441 points
3. Red Bull - 400 points
4. Ferrari - 378 points
5. Williams - 122 points
6. Racing Bulls - 90 points
7. Aston Martin - 74 points
8. Haas - 73 points
9. Sauber - 68 points
10. Alpine - 22 points
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